Printing machines, or printers, are used to produce labels bearing legends, graphics, and text, such as instructions or warnings, etc. A variety of printers may be used for this application, ranging for example from large industrial printers, to commonplace desktop printers, such as laser, thermal transfer, inkjet or dot matrix printers, to portable or hand-held printers, such as a hand-held thermal transfer label printer.
Printers may print information on a variety of media, e.g., label rolls, label sheets, photographic paper, etc. For many labeling applications, labels are printed on continuous label media or a series of individual labels carried on a continuous liner or carrier. For instance, the label media may be a roll of pressure sensitive tape that is attached to a liner by an adhesive. The printer may then print a series of legends along the tape, and the individual labels are formed by cutting through the tape and liner between each pair of legends to separate each individual label from the roll. The liner would then typically be removed so that the label can be applied to its desired location.
A common problem with low cost hand-held thermal transfer printers is label and liner waste. These printers can only feed the labels and ribbon in one direction (forward) through the printing mechanism. Additionally, the label must be cut after a print job. Generally, there is a large gap between the print-line and the cut position. Thus, a large unprinted area is fed past the print-line before cutting the printed label. Two problems result: (i) increased costs of label supplies; and (ii) fewer labels per label roll.